Development And Performance Evaluation Of Tractor-Drawn Broad-Bed Maker

Abstract

In The Highlands Of Ethiopia, There Are About 50 Million Hectares Of Land, With Vertisols Accounting For 16 %. Farmers Have Used Traditional Practices To Overcome The Water-Logging Problems Of Vertisols, All Of Which Are Insufficient To Fully Utilize The Potentials Of Vertisols. The Goal Of This Study Was To Develop And Evaluate The Performance Of A Tractor-Drawn Broad-Bed Maker. To Complete This Research Work The Following Methodology Was Used: Studying The Physical Properties Of The Soil, Material Selection, Developing All Parts Of Broad-Bed Maker, Manufacturing And Assembling The Broad-Bed Maker Components, Performance Evaluation Of The Broad-Bed Maker, Data Collection And Organization, And Finally Data Analysis. Frame, Adjustable Ridger, Shank, Three Point Hitch Links, And Bed Leveler Are Among The Parts In The Developed Broad-Bed Maker. Modeling The Machine Component And Data Analysis Were Done Using Solid works 2021 And Statistix 8, Respectively. The Test Parameters For The Performance Evaluation Were The Height Of The Bed, Top Width Of The Bed, And Draft Of The Implement. The Experiment Was Carried Out In Split-Plot, With Main Plots Arranged As An Rcbd, Operating Speed Is The Main Plot Factor, With 3 Levels, While Depth Of Furrow Is The Subplot Factor, With 3 Levels. The Physical Parameters Of The Soil Were Tested And Determined Its Soil Textural Triangle Indicated Clay: 13.34 % Sand, 35.66 % Silt, And 51 % Clay At Low Depth, And 17.34 % Sand, 29.66 % Silt, And 53 % Clay At High Depth Respectively. The Electrical Conductivity At Different Depth Of The Experimental Plot Was 0.171 Ds/M And 0.224 Ds/M Respectively. The Ph Value Of The Experimental Plot At Different Depth Was 7.04 And 7.15 Respectively. The Average Shear Strength Of The Experimental Plot Was Recorded As 0.956 Kg/Cm2.6.63 % Moisture Content, 4547 Kpa Penetration Resistance, And 1.73 G/Cm3Bulk Density Were Also Observed From The Test Plot. The Speed And Depth Of Operation Affect The Height Of The Broad-Bed. Tests Were Carried Out On A Test Plot Under Varying Conditions To Optimize These Two Factors. According To The Study Results, The Broad-Bed Reached Its Peak Height At A Speed Of 2.9 Km/H And A Depth Of 20 Cm. To Reduce The Implement's Draft, The Speed Was Adjusted To 2.3 Km/H And The Depth Of Operation To 15 Cm. Based On The Optimal Machine Settings, The Developed Broad-Bed Maker Was Tested In The Field, And The Average Height And Top Width Of The Bed Achieved With The Broad-Bed Maker Were 23.6 Cm And 124.3 Cm, Respectively. A Minimum And Maximum Draft Of 265.91 Kgf And 388.03 Kgf Were Required For The Developed Broad-Bed Maker. The Fuel Usage Of The Tractor-Driven Broad-Bed Maker Was Determined To Be 3.44 L/Ha. The Designed Broad-Bed Maker Has A Field Efficiency Of 72.9 %, And Wheel Slippage Was Determined To Be 6.35 %. The Cost Of Operation For A Tractor-Operated Broad-Bed Maker Was 1,254.21 Birr/Ha, While The Cost Of Fabrication For The Bbm Was 23,479.08 Birr. Finally, The Machine Has A Capacity That Is Appropriate For Its Purpose; But, By Adding Additional Features To The Machine (Such As A Rotary Tiller Or A Planter/Seed Driller), The Machine's Performance Can Be Improved While All Operations Are Completed In One Pass.